5G is on the horizon and with that being the case, network providers all over the world are trying their level best to be the first ones out of the gate with the new technology. Some networks are in fact trying so hard that they are slightly bending the truth and misleading customers as to whether or not their networks actually have 5G connectivity.

AT&T caught redhanded

In what must be one of the weirdest marketing ploys of the year, AT&T made it such that the internet label on some devices would appear with a 5G E sign. According to them, 5G E means 5G Evolution. Why this makes sense to them is beyond me. For one how can you offer an ‘evolution’ of something when you don’t even offer the real thing?

5G catfish

According to The Verge, this sign is appearing on 17 devices including the Samsung Galaxy S8 Active and LG V30 which (if you follow news about phones you’ll know) are not anywhere near being 5G enabled.

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Should this even be legal?

It’s a weird move and really misleading. To people who are not spec-savvy, they might buy one of these 17 devices or move over to AT&T because of their 5G enabled network. It may just be a marketing move but there should be some sort of action taken against the network provider as their 5G E network isn’t even that much faster than their normal LTE network and are basically employing the same technologies as these 4G LTE networks.